--KAPAK ARAÞTIRMA kopya 1 - Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı

Mediterranean has never been investigated. The site has now been placed under cultivation
which has disturbed the surface layers of this important settlement. Five ceramic
samples were removed for physical characterization and TL dating. A chance find
of some interest from this settlement was a small female figurine. TL dates are pending
and we hope to report on them at the annual symposium on Archaeological Excavations
and Surveys in Konya (May, 2004).
Karap›nar
The third brief visit for site assessment and sampling purposes was made to the
site of Karapınar in Nohutluk mevkii (Sinop merkez). Karapınar is a large multi-period
site including Bronze Age, Archaic, Hellenistic and Roman settlements. The Roman occupation
was particularly extensive, including a cemetery, settlement and production
areas. The ceramic scatter at the site is very heavy. The Roman settlement included
several domestic clusters and a production area marked by extensive kiln debris. The
site was found to be under cultivation with no significant change in its condition since
it was first recorded in 1999 (Doonan et al. 2001). Two ceramic samples were removed
for physical characterization and TL dating. TL dates are pending and we hope to
report on them in the annual symposium on Archaeological Excavations and Surveys
in Konya (May, 2004).
Post-field Analyses of Ceramic Finds
Ceramics from the survey are undergoing xeroradiographic scanning, chemical
and physical analysis by means of a scanning electron microscope under the supervision
of Dr. Pam Vandiver at the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education,
establishing a typology of wares based primarily on technology. Ceramic samples
from the 2003 survey are also undergoing thermoluminescence (TL) dating at the
University of Washington labs by team member Aksel Casson under the supervision of
Dr. James Feathers. This research is establishing the first absolutely dated ceramic sequence
from the Turkish Black Sea coastal region. A brief summary of the physical studies
of Sinop handmade ware types is included in this report for the purpose of illustrating
our methodology. Further results of the study of additional samples and the results
of TL analyses will be reported at a later date.
Summary of Ware Study of SRAP 2003 Materials
Samples of ceramics were collected from several pre-Colonial sites for technological
analysis at the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education. They
were examined using several different techniques for comparison and integration with
the larger database of ceramic materials collected from the 1996-2000 field seasons.
The color, texture and overall matrix (including inclusions) of the clay paste was
noted for each sample, using a high-powered stereoscopic microscope. A 25X Macrophotographic
image was taken of a fresh profile from each sample to ensure comparability
(and this will also allow for future ware comparisons to be made in the field based
on the photographic database). The initial ware characterization allowed each sample
to be related to the existing ware typology for the pre-Colonial ceramic materials.
Each sample was then xero-radiographed to determine its original forming method
and overall porosity. Xero-radiography differs from photo-radiography in that the xray
of the object is not exposed onto film, but rather onto an electrostatically charged
selenium plate, the resulting contrast between positive and negative charges allowing
for greater edge definition. This reveals the inner pore structure (the density of air pockets)
of the ceramics, and thus shows the forming methods used to put the vessel together,
including where pieces of clay were joined in the body of a pot.
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